Speaker Anita Among has directed the Uganda Road Fund to manage the Road Rehabilitation Development Grant to be operationalized by District Roads Committees across the country.
The Speaker issued the directive following a debate during a plenary sitting she chaired on Thursday. on a report by the Committee on Physical Infrastructure on implementation guidelines to manage the funds
The government has appropriated 1 billion for each of the 135 districts, 10 cities, and 31 municipalities in a bid to improve the condition of the road networks in the country aimed at enhancing rural accessibility and working environments in urban areas.
Among explained that the respective administrative units must ensure practical and accountable utilization of the disbursed funds in line with the guidelines of the Road Fund. The Fund is mandated under the Uganda National Roads Authority(UNRA) to finance the implementation of the Annual Road Maintenance Programmes (ARMP).
“I direct all districts, cities, and municipalities to immediately hold statutory meetings as provided for under the Uganda Road Fund Act, 2008 in order to prioritize and devise work plans,” said Among.
Adding that, “The work plans for each district, city, and municipality must be duly approved by the respective roads committees, which shall equally apply to accountability reports.”
Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairperson of the Physical Infrastructure Committee presented a report indicating that the guidelines on the utilization of the grant did not offer clarity on the role of district road committees in the fund implementation process.
Awany said, “The committee recommends that if the status quo remains as it is, the role of the district road committees should be clearly spelled out right from planning, approvals, and the entire implementation process.”
The Committee urged legislators to be involved in the road rehabilitation and maintenance activities in their respective constituencies, to ensure proper utilization of the grant.
According to the Speaker’s directive, the name of the grant is to be changed from the Road Rehabilitation Development Grant to Road Maintenance Grant. She emphasized that all legislators fully participate in all activities of the roads Committees in their respective constituencies.
Accordingly, the Speaker directed the Clerk to extract and circulate the resolutions to the Minister of Works and Transport, the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, the Uganda Road Fund, and all the beneficiary administrative units. She warned that any breaches will attract severe sanctions.
